


A Little Fall of Rain

by DivineVarod



Category: Red Dwarf
Genre: Angst, Battlefield, Death, Final Battle, Les Misérables References, Love Confessions, M/M, Self-Sacrifice, Slash, Yearning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 19:18:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6437038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineVarod/pseuds/DivineVarod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arnold “Ace” Rimmer is brought back to Red Dwarf by the Wildfire after a Simulant infects him with a virus. Lister has wanted to tell him something for a long time. Can he tell him before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Fall of Rain

No one had ever told him they were proud of him. Not his family, not any of the people he'd saved over the last century. Over a hundred years as Ace Rimmer and still these words had never been said to him. “Thank you” he must have heard at-least a million times.

It didn't matter anyhow there was only one person he truly wanted to hear these words from, one man he had loved for more than seven-hundred years. The man who was the reason he continued living a life he'd come to resent.

\---

It had been two years since Rimmer had left and Dave Lister had missed him every day. Neither the return of Kochanski nor the nano-Rimmer he'd shared his jail with had changed this.

The loss of nano-Rimmer had hurt, though, and only made the pain of missing his own Rimmer deeper.

Every day he cursed his stupidity of letting Rimmer go off as Ace. The Hologram had never wanted to go, but he'd talked him into it, because he thought it was the right thing to do.

If only he'd realised his true feelings for Rimmer sooner.

If he'd ever saw him again he'd never let him go.

\---

The onboard computer had calculated Rimmer's Hologramic years in human years. He was told he was about seventy now, physically. He wasn't surprised. He was so tired these days – even the thought of going into battle exhausted him. But he had promised Lister he would not break the chain, so on he went year in year out. He would do him proud. The hope of one day hearing these words from his lips kept him going.

Despite his resolve one day exhaustion got the better of him and a Simulant managed to shoot a holo-virus into his lightbee.

Ace managed to drag himself into his trusted Wildfire before illness overwhelmed him.  
  
The plane only knew one solution. One place where Ace would be safe.  
  
Red Dwarf.

A century had passed, but the moment he saw Lister he knew: he was home at last.

\---

The first thing Lister noticed was how tired Rimmer looked. Yes – the Wildfire had told them she'd brought Ace back to them because he was infected by a virus, but that was not the tiredness he meant. There was something in his eyes; a pain that had not been there before he left.

“What happened to you?” Lister thought, staring at the man he'd missed so much. “What have you been through?”

\---

Rimmer had given a brave performance in front of Kryten and the Cat, but alone in the bunkroom with Lister he could not pretend anymore. After all these years he still could not lie to Lister. Drained of every last bit of energy he collapsed. Lister supported him to his bunk.  
  
HIS bunk.

“It's okay Arnold, you can rest now.”

If Lister only knew how long he had waited for those words.

\---

“I can rest …?” Rimmer stammered hopefully. “I can truly rest?”

Lister's heart broke: at that moment there was nothing of Ace left. All he could see was a desperate child that had been lost in the woods too long. He put his hand on his shoulder.

“Yes Rimmer, you can rest.”

Lister heard something that sounded liked a suffocated sob, but he pretended to ignore it.

As Rimmer's muscles were stiff and painful Lister helped him undress.

“Can … can I take this off too?” Rimmer gestured at the wig.

“Of course.” Lister encouraged.

Rimmer reached up, but his arms couldn't get that high without absolute agony.

“Allow me.” Lister said, trying to lighten the moment. And he gracefully removed the wig from Rimmer's head.

Rimmer closed his eyes and sighed with relief. He felt as if he'd just been set free from an inner jail.

\---

The virus had damaged Rimmer badly. Completely exhausted for too long, his holo-immune system had shattered so the disease hit him hard. Kryten had created a version of the Dove programme that he installed on the Hologram's lightbee hoping to halt the virus. But even if the programme could stop it from progressing Rimmer would remain damaged.

As Rimmer rested Lister sat by his bedside every day, unable to let the him out of his sight for even a second. He told him all that had happened while he was away.  
Sometimes, when he felt up to it Rimmer told him some of his adventures as well, but he held back, Lister felt. He'd expected to be heralded by stories of triumph and heroics, but the Hologram seemed shy and confused. It was as if Rimmer had been away for decades, not two years. He had to know.

“Rimmer … There is something you need to tell me. Be honest. How long have you been Ace?” Lister asked him, as he fed him soup.

Rimmer stared at Lister and sighed, the Heroes eyes went dark and Lister knew: he'd been through hell.

“Hundred years …”

Lister's heart stopped for a second and he made a decision: Rimmer was not going back. Smeg the chain, let it be broken. It was obvious he would never fully recover from his illness, let alone the traumas he'd obviously suffered. Rimmer would retire and he would look after him. He had let him go once, he had almost lost him, but this time would be different.  
  
Sadly faith decided otherwise.

\---

An emergency call and there was no new Ace to take the place of Arnold. No matter how much Lister protested, this battle needed Ace.

“You gotta be kidding man!!” Lister exclaimed. “He can barely stand, how the smeg's he gonna fight?”

Lister watched with rising anger as Rimmer was dressed and supported to the craft. He doubted the Hologram was even aware of what was going on as his eyes were glassy and he seemed unresponsive. “This is smegging ridicules! It wasn't supposed to be like this.”

\---

“What am I doing?” The dazed Hologram asked when realising he was in his Ace garb ready for take-of.

“Two children are stuck in a time loop on a GELF planet. You have to save them and return them to their original timeline.”

Rimmer nodded, shivering in his now far too big Ace coat. Children, he could not let them down.

He stared at the worried faces of Lister and Kryten and for one brief second thought of getting out and returning to medibay, to his bed. He shook his head, he could not, would not, abandon children.

He blinked at the buttons of the plane, his foggy feverish brain confused.

“I … I don't remember …” Rimmer muttered, his hands shaking.

“He's too ill, he doesn't even know what he's doing!” He heard Lister exclaim.

\---

Without thinking Lister jumped on board.  
  
“You're not doing this alone, man. I'm not gonna let you die.”

Rimmer looked at him, “Listy … are you sure?”

“This time I'm not letting ya go!!”

\---

The battlefield was cold and grey, a drizzle of rain made it even more unwelcoming.  
Rimmer felt more worried than happy having Lister by his side. He had to keep him safe. He also wanted to show him how he'd spent all these years. What he'd learned, what he'd done. It had all been for him.  
It wasn't easy now he was so weak.

\---

Lister watched Rimmer in amazement. He was more Ace than any of the incarnations he had ever seen. Green with illness he still worked tirelessly: he thought up a plan, got the children to safety and battled GELFS.  
He was so proud of him. Tonight he would tell him.

\---

Rest. If only he could rest, if just for five minutes. Two would do. But it was impossible: onwards, ever onwards.

Exhaustion made him black out for a few precious seconds. When his vision returned he saw someone with a gun.

Lister in range of gun.

Hand moving trigger.

Save Lister!

Jump.

A loud noise.

Explosion in chest.

Scream.

Pain.

“Oh my God! Rimmer! Arnold! _Ace!_ You saved … Smeg are you alright?”

Can't speak, nod.

Ignore pain, gather, continue, save.

\---

Victory.

The children were reunited safely with their parents. The GELFS were defeated.

Ace was celebrated as a hero once more.

\---

“Rimmer saved my life …” was all Lister could think. He'd never been more scared than when that GELF had stood before him with that gun. Rimmer had simply jumped in front of it. How could he ever thank him enough for that?

He looked out into the green meadow that was slowly terraformed by the Wildfire to replace the grey world it had been after the GELF settlement was blown up. It was still raining, but that was good.

“Rain will make the flowers grow.” Lister thought.

Suddenly he heard a strangled sob behind him. Lister turned round sharply to see Rimmer on the brink of collapse, swaying alarmingly, all colour drained from his face.

“Ace?”

“Help me Listy …” Rimmer whispered brokenly.

“Sure Arn, come …” Lister said softly and found himself holding the shattered man in his arms.

“You did so well. I can't believe it man. I'm so proud of you!”

He felt Rimmer melt into his arms when he said that.

“You are …?” Rimmer asked incredulous. “You're … proud of me?”

“Of course I am, you smegger. You did something amazing here!! And you saved me life!!”

“Waited … so … long …” Rimmer whispered.

Lister felt the man grow limp in his arms.

“Ace …?” He asked frightenedly. No response. He realised Rimmer had lost consciousness. Lister slowly sank down to the ground holding the man in his arms. He took the communicator Rimmer had given him and asked the Wildfire to come to them.

“Is this why you did it?” Lister asked the senseless Rimmer, tears in his voice. “You did all this hoping I'd be proud of you?”

He gently took of Rimmer's wig and found himself combing his curls with his fingers. He was worried about the paleness of the Holograms face and feared that this battle, so early in his recovery, could have very well set his health back weeks.

Then he noticed the gaping hole where … his lightbee … His heart stopped for a second.

“You saved my life …” Lister whispered frantically. “You saved my life!!” He begun to sob, realising what had happened. “Of course I'm proud of you …”

This could not be happening, he'd had only just got his Rimmer back he couldn't lose him again forever.

“Rimmer, please no!!”

As the rain fell down on his face Rimmer's eyes opened with difficulty. To Lister's alarm they were big and broken.

“Listy … Dave … I …” He coughed, then continued. “I … have always been … in love with you.”

Lister felt uneasy, not by Rimmer's words, but the thought that Rimmer would only say them if …

But he couldn't think like this now, he knew he had to reply.

“Arnold, I love you too. I missed you so much.”

Hearing those words tears begun to stream down Rimmer's sunken cheeks. Lister moved closer to the heroes face and traced the tear-drops with his fingers, then his lips. He did this several times then moved his lips to Rimmer's mouth and slowly, gently kissed him. Rimmer whimpered.

“T … thank you.”

“I mean it Arnold. I love you!!”

Rimmer smiled at him wearily. “Seven hundred years … Worth it. My … Listy …”

Then he said nothing, as the light in his eyes faded and his projection froze.

Tears streaming down his face Lister sat with the man who waited so long to be loved until Rimmer's projection flickered one more time and shut off for good, leaving nothing but his broken lightbee.  
  
\---

 _“And you will keep me safe_  
_And you will keep me close_  
_I'll sleep in your embrace at last._

 _The rain that brings you here_  
_Is Heaven-blessed!_  
_The skies begin to clear_  
_And I'm at rest_  
_A breath away from where you are_  
_I've come home from so far”_


End file.
